Beijing

"Gain glory for your country.. add color to the Olympics."

Propaganda for the 2008 Olympics hits u the minute u enter Beijing. Billboards are splashed with huge messages as u enter the city.. It's not my first time to China, but somehow, Shanghai seems so boring compared to Beijing. The latter has got so much more character. Spanking new developments rise alongside old historical buildings but there is no stark contrast... just a beautiful wintry old-town feel.

After a good night's sleep, i reject offers to go shopping (i do get tired of it sometimes too) & decide to explore the city a bit. Seeing that the Great Wall is a little too far, i opt for the Forbidden City aka Imperial Palace, home to the last few emperors of China.

Walking along the walls of the palace... half the river is frozen with dead fishes... the other half has melted as spring approaches.

As i enter through the huge gates, i am quite frankly, awestruck. I have to turn myself several times to get my bearings because the place is HUGE.

My pictures fail to capture the enormity & majesty of it all... the imperial architecture & grand courtyards are simply amazing.

U can only imagine the splendour with which the emperors lived.. and the number of workers who lived alongside them.

The throne on which the emperors handled political affairs... i could almost picture a eunuch or palace maid inside!

Modern comforts bring me back to reality... i find the juxtaposition of ancient vs modern quite amusing!

On my way to Tiananmen Sq, the site of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre & a place i've always wanted to visit.

When i see it for myself finally, i can only begin to comprehend the protests that took place here many years ago and the innocent people who died... seriously the square is kickass big. Just imagine how many people..

Errant cab drivers aside, Beijing is a wonderful place to visit... it has so many monuments of historical value... definitely a place to visit if u're planning on a trip to china sometime!